Westport

Former FBI director Comey follows up Central Park West with an entertaining second whodunit featuring former assistant U.S. attorney Nora Carleton, now employed as general counsel for Saugatuck Associates of Westport, Conn. Saugatuck, the largest hedge fund in the world, is known for its rigid moral principles. Recently, however, COO Helen Carmichael has been casting doubt on that reputation, sharing concerns with Nora that someone may be leaking the company’s secrets. When Helen is brutally murdered and the scene staged so Nora appears to be the primary suspect, she fears the allegations of a corporate mole were true. Facing a murder charge, Nora reaches out to her old friend Benny Dugan, a mafia investigator with the U.S. attorney’s office, and her former boss, Carmen Garcia, for help. In the process of clearing her name, they find that Helen made enemies too numerous to count and may have been less of a friend to Nora than she appeared. Comey’s done a fine job of polishing his dialogue and smoothing out Central Park West’s other miscues, delivering a sufficiently crowd-pleasing blend of financial thriller and Agatha Christie-esque whodunit. A third entry in the series would be welcome. Agent: Kirby Kim, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (May)